coffee break

wellington is cold. no surprise, it’s in the latitude of tasmania. i was kinda whacked to think that it’s somewhere near papua new guinea. stupid me brought summer clothes. the city is pretty, very cosmopolitan. kinda small, 2km square city center. but i think it’s charming that way, everything is a stone throw away in a sense. very european. like most cities away from home, everything closes early, like 6.00pm early. exactly 4.45pm, people are leaving the office leaving the expats (us) at the office to tidy things up. and i don’t mean clean and dust the desk, finish up work that needs to be finished. i think it’s an asian thing, working really hard. and the streets are deserted.

it’s a good timing being her; it’s the new zealand international arts festival. there’s an endless parade of plays, musicals, concerts and museum exhibits. we’re watching good morning, mr. gershwin at the st. james theater. and then a 3d movie on an adaptation of hans christian andersen’s ugly duckling on sunday. loving the culture rich city. looking forward on our saturday trip to martinborough. wine country and plenty of good food, way to live life.

as with the people i came here with, we use our nights to see the city. there’s a section of the city that really thrives at night that has all the dinner place and drinking pubs. similar to australia, they drink like a fish and rowdy as hell. my 10th day here, and i have to say i am enjoying the food. i’ve been having lamb and steak everyday, and really good ones! the dining here is so amazing, i haven’t had dinner in the same place twice. by way not cheap food, but not as expensive as i would expect. the venison in mushroom risotto with truffle jus is just nz$34. not bad. specially once you tasted how fabulous it is. 10 more days, more restaurants, and plenty more experiences.

i am a coke fanatic. i am one of those people who can differentiate the taste of soda. pepsi doesn’t taste like coke, coke zero doesn’t taste like coke. coke in can is the best. although coke in vendo is better, i find that the taste not consistent, depending who does the tweaking of the carbonated water and syrup. and it’s not only the taste, coke has this certain feel, a certain ‘culture’ that seems to be inviting and appealing. coke seems to be very accessible and dependable, from the the first ahhh moment when you take a big gulp of this ice cold drink, to the last drop of its refreshing goodness.

and their commercials help too. the marketing is genius if you ask me. the appeal is universal and simplistic, very relatable. its strong presence and character stands out. so here’s to a product that is not only enjoyable but also is an icon on its own.

listening to:
The Complete Ella Fitzgerald Song Books – Ella Fitzgerald : Get Happy

what the hell? i’m on night shift until i fly back, which changes everyday. one of my pet peeves is nightly junk food, fast food to be exact. greasy burger with fatty bacon, yum! so here i am at wendy’s, been craving it for a long time; i’ve been a mcdo boy since, forever. the baconator looks good,so i’m having that. go biggie just because of the ice tea, just for the ice tea. as i waited for the freshly made burger, the cashier ringed my bill it amounted to php320.00. huwat?!?!?! are they serious? 320 for a burger meal at a fast food store? of all people, i’m the last to be stingy but for a burger meal at a fast food chain, 320 is just plain wrong. the burger is ok, for that price it should be! it’s the same price as 8hours of a minimum waged worker. that so wrong.

but one burger i’d gladly pay a premium is mcdo’s angus burger. i love this burger just because it’s really good. the onions for one is really fresh and the bacon is just the way i wanted, extra crispy. i ordered it at a drive thru on our way home from tyson, got lost a couple of exits, got home after an hour, answered emails and after a total 2.5hours, the burger is still good! that’s good burger…

but sorry, it’s not available in manila.

listening to:
We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things. – Jason Mraz : The Dynamo Of Volition

i feel like the bird noah let go after the flood. come to think of it, if the first bird never returned, who was the mate of the second bird since he only carried 2 of a kind? and what if there were homosexual animals there? maybe the dinosaurs noah have in ark where gay that’s why they became extinct…

anyway, i’m back. i was supposed to be in san francisco until next week. but last friday evening (pacific time), i read a lot of feeds in facebook about the flooding in manila. the videos in youtube was just shocking that i called yaya to check up on my house. although i was situated in the higher ground manila, but that amount of rain and 2 storey houses flooded got me scared. the sad part of it is that my house got flooded, knee deep. yaya was quick on her feet to secure all of my stuff downstairs and moved it at the 2nd flr. shoes, bags, laptop, tv, all she can carry. but my furniture and ref got the beating. i quickly rebooked my ticket and got back in manila tuesday morning. lo and behold, all my stuff are back in place. my tiled floors are as white as ever, shoes neatly stacked by the stairs. you can not put a price on good help.

now, pepeng. i need to clear out of manila before this typhoon hits.

but let me share something.

best coffee i’ve tasted. taste like liquid kopiko. it’s brewed, you don’t need to add sugar because it’s already sweet. forgot the name of the restaurant but it’s the al fresco restaurant in maiden lane at union square in san francisco,  before the chanel boutique. try it, really good coffee.